NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Chapter Five: The Economy of Purpose
Strip them down and sort it clean,
Every asset must be seen.
Boots and belts and badges bright,
All must serve the Reich's great might.
The supply officer's error was thinking Tanya wouldn't notice the quality of the uniforms being issued to the newly processed units. She hummed cheerfully while comparing the manifests.
"See this requisition?" Her smile made the officer sweat more than the morning heat. "New uniforms for tunnel units? How wonderfully wasteful!" She checked another manifest. "Especially when we have three hundred processed sets from yesterday's command restructuring."
The supply officer started to explain about regulations. Tanya's laughter cut him short. "Regulations? The Reich has no regulations against efficiency! Strip the processed, clean and mend their uniforms, and reassign the garments just like we reassign the personnel."
"But sir, some of these are officer uniforms-"
"Even better! Process the gold braid separately. The Reich always needs more medals for those who advance our cause."
Nothing wasted, nothing lost,
Everything at proper cost.
From their boots up to their caps,
All must serve the Reich's advance.
The processing center hummed with dual efficiency. In one section, failed unit commanders were evaluated and reassigned to their new roles - mostly mining operations needing expendable explosion testers. In another, their former possessions were sorted, cleaned, and redistributed.
"Beautiful system," Tanya explained to her staff, genuinely admiring the smooth operation. "The boots go to new recruits, the uniforms to processed units, the insignia to the smelters, and the personal effects..." her smile widened, "...well, the Reich's victory requires every resource."
She paused by the sorting tables, her ever-present melody rising over the sound of efficiency in motion. "Wedding rings make excellent electrical conductors. Personal photographs fuel our generators. Every item serves the Reich's triumph."
From their skin down to their core,
Reich claims all and uses more.
Nothing spare and nothing waste,
Everything finds perfect place.
Midday brought an unexpected opportunity. A logistics regiment had failed to meet their quotas.
"Perfect timing!" Tanya beamed at the new arrivals. "We needed more processing staff." Her humming never paused as she signed the orders. "Remove their rank insignia for recycling. Their uniforms can go to the successful units. And their ledgers..." she picked one up with evident satisfaction, "...will help us track our improved efficiency."
The processing went smoothly. By afternoon, the former logistics officers were evaluating new arrivals while wearing simplified uniforms, their former badges already sorted for metal reclamation.
"Efficiency cubed," Tanya explained happily. "We gain processing staff, reclaim materials, AND improve logistics by replacing failures with successes." She made a note in a ledger taken from that morning's intake. "Waste nothing, advance everything."
When the sorting's finally done,
And our victory is won,
Those who served will proudly see,
How each part brought destiny.
Evening found Tanya reviewing the day's total reclamation figures. Uniforms, equipment, personal effects - everything categorized, redistributed, and put to optimal use.
"Tomorrow we'll optimize personal equipment processing," she told her staff, humming thoughtfully. "I noticed some inefficiencies in how we're handling timepieces and spectacles. The Reich's advancement demands perfect efficiency."
She added a final note to the day's report:
"Human assets properly allocated. Material assets efficiently redistributed. Value extraction maximized. Reich advances."
The Reich's machinery of necessity grew stronger with every item processed. Even failure had value, when properly stripped down and redistributed for the greater victory.